Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation both show different patterns of social and political interaction. The Jungle is an intense and emotional story of the journey of a poor Lithuanian family who moves to Chicago for a chance at a new life. What they didn't know, however, was the amount of corruption, crime and political arrogance that was involved in the life they desired. Fast Food Nation is a non-fiction novel about the factors of the fast food industry that influence every country in the world. Comparing these books and the information they contain can show how disturbing companies and their practices in the industry really are. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay These novels put into words the ongoing struggles workers face, which have been much the same since 1900. The Jungle centers on Chicago's meatpacking industry, while Fast Food Nation centers on the fast food industry nationwide. Socially, these novels discuss the mistreatment and low wages of workers; politically, they discuss politicians' prejudices towards workers in the sector. There have been many instances where politics have interfered with safe and fair business practices at The Jungle. One such case, which unfortunately was very common in this period, was the use of sickly and supposedly “diseased” meat in order to continue to obtain maximum profit. Cattle destined to be discarded were instead continued along the slaughter line, sliced into every possible portion of meat that could be sold. This occurred again with the preparation of sausages; there was everything in the sausage, from the old discarded sausage, to the meat thrown on the sawdust-covered floors on which the workers spat, to the meat on which the water leaked from the roofs, to the meat on which mice, then even rats ran they were poisoned and used. All this damaged and disgusting meat was injected with chemicals and dyes to make it look like worthy meat. Business owners did everything they could to make as much money as they could and to pay their employees as little as possible. Luckily, the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act were passed in 1906. The Pure Food and Drug Act was established to prevent the manufacture and sale of poisonous, unprocessed, and chemically adulterated foods and other products, while the Meat Inspection Act The law made it mandatory to examine livestock before entering slaughterhouses and also carcasses after slicing. Since the passage of these laws, many other laws have also been passed to keep the quality of American meat at the highest level of sterility possible. However, decades later, when the fast food industry was booming and hamburger meat was in high demand, other aspects of the meatpacking industry were discontinued. According to Fast Food Nation, one of the best-paying manufacturing jobs turned into one of the worst-paying manufacturing jobs, had a workforce of mostly immigrant workers, and rarely considered injuries. The injury rate in the company was approximately three times higher than in a normal factory, with the industry's extraordinary injury rate approximately 33% higher than average. To keep business running smoothly and without interference, companies would have a list of actual workplace incidents, then a list to give to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ironically, Upton's The Jungle.
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